Process for converting hydrocarbons



Oct. 27,1931.-v c. P. DUBBS PROCESS FOR CONVERTING HYDROCARBONS 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 24, 1918 Oct. 27, 1931. c. P. DUBBS PROCESS FOR CONVERTING HYDROCARBONS Filed July 2 4, 191'8 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 PROCESS FOR CONVERTING HYDROCARBONS Filed July 24' 1918 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 MNM jme/vi?" r QJOU QM Patented Oct. 27, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARBON P. DUBBS, OF WILMETTE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA Application led July 24,

This invention relates toimprovements in process for converting hydrocarbons and refers more particularly to a rocess of converting heavy into lighter hy rocarbons. such as gasoline-like products.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide a process in which the oil is compelled to pass through a lurality of relatively small streams in the re or cracking zone and then through a larger chamber or chambers located outside of the lire zone and forming the' vapor or distilling zone; to provide a process in which the oil is circulated rapidly through the tire zone and relatively slowly through the vaporizing zone; to provide a process in which the oil is, circulated through the fire zone in streams of progressively decreasing size to insure the highest economy of operation and most eilicient cracking; to provide a process which permits of the use of relatively small pi s in the ire zone and in which the depositlon of carbon is substantially eliminated in that part of the apparatus which is subjected to the highest heat; to provide a process in which the precipitated carbon is deposited in that part of the apparatus located outside of the fire zone; to provide a process in which a regulated quantity of oil is at all times automatically supplied to the system to prevent the p1pes becoming dry; to provide a process in which the cracking, distilling and condensing can take place. under the pressure of the generated vapors; to provide a novel form of apparatus for carrying out the above process and in general to provide novel improvements of the character referred to.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus with parts shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section.

' Fig. 3 is a transverse cross sectional view. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the apparatus, partly in section.

Referring to ,the drawings, 1 designates the furnace, inthe ire zone of which is mounted a plurality of sets of relatively small pipes, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively. The first sets 2, may be 11/4 inches in diameter; the set 3, an inch 1918. Serial No. 246,438.

in diameter; the set 4, three-fourths inches in diameter and the set 5, one half inch 'in diameter. The exact diameter of each set may of course vary with conditions o operation but should be of the correct size relative to the desired speed, friction, amount of vapors taken 01T, character of product desired, etc.

These pipes are connected in series and the oil is delivered to them by means of a pump 6 through pipe 12a. Mounted above the cracking coils and located outside of the fire zone are four vapor chambers 7, 8, 9, and 1() respectively, chamber for each of the cracking coils. These vapor chambers may take the form' of tenk inch pipes and are inclined somewhat downwardly toward the end of the apparatus at which the pump is located. yThe vapor chambers are connected at one end to the respective coils by pipes 11 and at their other ends to the adjacent set of coils by pipes 12. Each vapor chamber at one end 1s connected toa vertical aerial condenser 13, the connections to the aerials being controlled by valves 14. The aerials are connected to the inclined pipes 15 leading to manifold 16 which in turn is connected b condenser coil 18. he condenser 18 leads to receiving tank 19 havingdraw-of 20 which is controlled by valve 21. Valves 22 are interposed in the inclined pipes 15 so that pressure can be regulated on the system as desired. A baille 23 may be interposed, if desired, iii the vapor chambers which are also provided with gauges 244 and 25. The coils are at all times filled with oil but of course the vapor chambers will not be. To prevent the system going dry by excess vaporization or otherwise, I provide' means for automatically supplying additional oil to the system. This means for supplying adthere being a vapor Y pipe 17 to the water I lisli thedesired liquid level therein.

and 10 by the provision of a communication between the receiving tank 19 and the ytank which communication permits the pressryto be equalized in the expansion chambers", the receiving tank 19 and the tanrszel The tem .F.Ilr and pressure t0 which the oil is su'jec'tedwill vary with conditions, withsthe character of the oil treated with ,the desired gravity or endpoint tobe obtained :as i@ifell.,as,` other conditions.l `The pressure ma .arancia-m several hunpoun lthough in some cases they process operated atl lessthan '50 pounds passages Afor @sample 2o to 30 pounds.

'llhe tenip c e, ofthe lo il in the small tubes wiunryf dan 400 F., more-0r les, i' to' 1200F. rer less. The following Iillus-v il from `the Kansas or Oklahoma elds o 32 degrees Baume. 'gravityf-the oil after being n raised toacrackingteinperature in the heatiiie' tbeinliile, maintaining the S Stemunderfajfsi-ibstantial s' ressure, ay yiel of from .3ae0%pf tiiefrigina1, charge of 40o de- 'grecs end point gasoline of from 56-58 de- Bel essere be Pwdmed diresse;

'e resid l d awa outer the lastvdper berth uglipipe 3,1 which is connected A. l l,fractionalting still 33. 'This sti y 33 ispo t ted with gooseneck 34 water @andauern andre-caving ank a6- Ari ,e ith valve36 leads from t Le me pipe leading to the inlet pum" ...'lheripe 32e Provided e3?1 tat a pressure underv which erated, Inthe pipe 32 is a te li38fand in this .,tank'38 l y edit. neat -39 which regulatesltlie rate of ilo'wuofntlie oil from the last vapor A chamber'v and out or'` the tank 38,

lexs

irresp ectivefoufthev pressure. The upper end fihisehanber vra8 is provided with a vgas inlet pipe which is opened to the inconden'sible 'gases' in the receiving tank 19. The arrangement is such thatwhen the, level in the last vapor chamber exceeds the vnormal amount, the Hoet-valve 39 will rise and permit the yecess residue to pass into the receiving tank 38 and thence continuously from this tank on to the atmospheric still 33 thepressure vonv the hot residual oil being release by the pressure valve 37,it being apparent that the still 33 is under atmospheric. pressure. The construction in tank 38 is similar to that shown in tank 26.` The residue which goes into the' fractionating still is there fractionally distilled and the distillates which go over into the condenser are again returned to the cracking system for retreatment. The residue which is left in the fractionating still will contain most of the precipitated carbon.

. The arrangement is such that the oil passes through the vapor chambers to the next adjacent coil by gravity assisted by the pump. By this means a sufficient rapid circulation of the oil through the cracking coils to the vapor chambers is obtained.

` I claim as my invention:

. 1. A continuous process for cracking hydrocarbon oils, consisting in continuously passing a stream of oil from a primary source of supply through a heating zone wherein it is subjected to a cracking temperature, in passing the highlyv heated oil from said .stream to an enlarged reaction zone wherein conversion occurs, in maintaining a predeter- Vmined. liquid level of the oil in said enlarged reaction zone by automatically supplying additional oil froman auxiliary source of supply to said stream when the liquid in the reaction zone falls below said predeterinined level, and in maintaining a superatmospheric pressure on the oil undergoing conversion. n

2. A process for converting hydrocarbon oil, consisting in heating a stream of oil from a primary source of supply to a cracking teinperature while passing through an elongated passageway, in delivering the highly heated oil from said passageway to an enlarged reaction zone wherein conversion y occurs, in maintaining a' predetermined liquid level of the oil in said enlarged reaction zone by automatically admitting additional oil from an aug'riliary supply to theinlet of said elongated'passageway, whenthe oil in the enlarged reaction zone allsbelow said prede' termined level 'and in maintaining an equalizfed pressure on the oilin said enlarged reaction zone and in said v,auxilia supply. A process for cracking hyldrocarbon oil, -consistin in passing a stream of oil from a source o supply through ay heating zone wherein it is raised to (a conversion temperature, in delivering the highly heated oil from said stream to an enlarged reaction zone, wherein conversion occurs, in passing unvaporized oil from said enlarged reaction zone through a second stream Vwherein it is again subjected to a conversion temperature, in discharging the heated oil from said second stream into an independent enlarged reaction zone, in maintaining predetermined liquid level of the oil in each of said enlarged reaction zones by separately and automatically admitting to said streams additional oil from lis an auxiliary source of supply in the event that the oil in said enlarged reaction zones falls below said predetermined liquid levels and in maintaining a self-generated superatmospheric vapor pressure on the oil undergoing conversion.

4. A process for cracking hydrocarbon oil, consisting in maintaining aplurality of independent bodies of hydrocarbon oil under cracking conditions of heat and pressure, in

continuously supplying hydrocarbon oil from a primary source of supply .to said bodies and in maintaining the Volume of the oil in each of said bodies substantially constant by automatically admitting to said bodies additional oil from an auxiliary source of supply in the event that the volume of oil in said bodies decreases.

5. A process for cracking hydrocarbon oil, consisting in continuously passing a stream of oil from a primary source of supply through a heating zone, wherein the oil is raised to a cracking temperature, in delivering the oil, subsequent to its being raised to a cracking temperature in said stream, to an enlarged Zone, wherein substantial vaporization occ curs, in maintaining a predetermined volume of liquid oil, undergoing treatment in the process by automatically supplying additional oil to said stream from an auxiliary source of supply, when said volume of oil falls below the predetermined volume desired to be maintained in the process, and in maintaining a su peratmospheric pressure upon the oil undergoing cracking in the process.

6. A continuous process for cracking hy- (lrocarbon oils, consisting in continuously passing a stream of oil from a primary source of supply through a heating zone, wherein it is subllected to a cracking temperature, in delivering the oil, subsequent to its passage through said heating zone, to an enlarged zone, wherein substantial vaporization occurs, in maintaining a predetermined volume of liquid oil in said enlarged Zone by automatically supplying additional oil from an auxiliary source o supply to said stream, when the volume of oil in said enlarged zone falls below the predetermined volume desired to be maintained therein, and further by automatically removing any excess of liquid accumulating in said enlarged zone, and in maintaining a superatmospheric pressure on the oil undergoing conversion.

7. A process for cracking hydrocarbon oil, consisting in maintaining a predetermined Volume of liquid oil in a still under cracking conditions of temperature and pressure, in normally supplying the oil to said still from a source of supply in maintaining an auxil iary supply of liquid oil under the same pressure as is maintained upon the oil in the still and in automatically admitting oil from such auxiliary supply to the still, in the event of a decrease in the predetermined. volume of therein.

CARBON P. DUBBS. 

